I've had the same thoughts, and not really with respect to D2. There are a lot of variables in knife construction- steel type, grind, heat treat, and with respect to a hard use knife there are even little details such as how the blade transitions into the tang, are there points with stress concentrations, etc. A blade can come from an expensive maker, look good on paper, look good in person, but under hard use it might not stand up. I've watched some of the different knife tests to destruction and noticed that some of the expensive high-reputation blades didn't cut it, and some of the ultra-cheap blades turned out to be near indestructible. So you can't tell by the looks of the blade, either find where someone else tested it or test it yourself. That's why I am a fan of Becker and Cold Steel- the knives have proven themselves. I don't care what other people think of Lynn Thompson, and I promised not to say anything more about the recent deal with the tweeners, but the knives themselves have been proven to work. And at the other extreme some of the ultra-expensive Busse's didn't stand up either.
I have a lot of Kershaws and even have one in the mail to me right now, I also have a lot of Benchmades and like them, but I noticed that the Cold Steel SRK did well in destruction tests where the very similar Benchmade didn't. For that reason I am suspicious of any knife intended for hard use until I can find that it has proven itself.
